Human
by KP9314
Summary: What if the werewolf serum didn't work? What if Dracula didn't die that night? What if a witch befriended a mortal woman? What if this mortal was one of Dracula's targets? What if the werewolf, a blond vampire from the dark ages, the witch and the mortal became a family? Read to find the answers and feel free to review. (cover background by Sophel (Sophie) on Deviantart)
1. Falling

**Disclaimer: we do not own Van Helsing and Dracula, just the OCs that appear. Them being Kathryn, Petra and Andrei. They are utterly OURS *possessive mode on*  
**

**We are sure that any of you will give us a reason to kill you in your sleep, right? *murderous face and evil grin***

**Please review!**

**Kisses***

* * *

**I.**

**Falling**

_Well life has a funny way  
of sneaking up on you  
when you think everything's okay  
and everything's going right  
And life has a funny way  
of helping you out  
when you think everything's gone wrong  
and everything blows up in your face_

_Ironic_, Alanis Morissette

It was the middle of January and it was freezing cold. I had the feeling that I would lose my nose at any given time and my ears burnt due to the itching caused by the almost negative temperatures. I know, I should already be used to this kind of atmospheres but my organism seems always eager to repeal them. The only thing that was good about that day was the sun that radiated some heat in that frozen late afternoon. However, _Starbucks _was muffled and crowded with people pushing against each other. They almost ran in the shop's direction right before it was time to close doors, just like flies are attracted by honey. When I was finally attended, to my deepest dismay, the cashier was a college kid that was trying to look smart and dashing while eyeing me from head to toe. He didn't seem to be any older than 19 years old and he still had wide traces of adolescent acne spread across his face. He wasn't definitely an attractive guy. At least for me.

"Good afternoon dear, what is it going to be?" He asked with a metallic smile and a slightly deep southern accent. Dear? Really? For some moments I just stood there, looking at him dumfounded. I didn't know if it was only my sight playing tricks on me or not, but I can almost swear that he had yellow elastics on his braces.

"Good afternoon, it's a _Frappuccino Mocca _and an _Expresso Macchiato_, please" I answered very politely, "To go." He stood there without any reaction. Probably, thinking I was crazy. I knew that asking for an iced coffee in the middle of January wasn't something very common in Washington.

"It's coming right out. Just tell me your name, gorgeous". Gorgeous? But with whom did he think he was talking to? His classmate?

"Kathryn". I answered in the same tone of voice, I didn't have any patience for those social interactions, at least at that moment. He wrote my name in two large cardboard cups and I stepped aside to wait. To be honest, I was more worried about the work I had left back at the Smithsonian. I still had two more letters from Jack, The Reaper to transcribe and analyze, and they were giving me way too much work. The man had a horrible handwriting, too ugly for it to be called _calligraphy_. My thoughts were haunted by the morbid details that were inscribed in the pieces of paper already worn out by time. It was hard to break free from them after so many hours reading those letters. In my line of work I had dealt with many different individuals, all of them with a completely distorted mind. I had given sessions to pedophiles and rapists, even serial killers crossed my office, but none had such distinctive sophistication in the description of what he had done. My line of thinking was horribly interjected by the particularly high pitched voice of the cashier that had attended me.

"Kathryn!" He called aloud. I was so reluctant to be there that I forgot completely to register the kid's name. Quickly I went to the counter, grabbed the two coffee cups, thanked him and left the cluster of people. The night was promising to be a long one and it would be dangerous to have Petra caffeine deprived in the middle of so many autopsy instruments.

After that it didn't take me much time to cross the busy street and to enter the building, and therefore the section where my friend and post-doctoral colleague was waiting for me. I passed by the usual guard, showed him my identification, as I have always done, and descended in the metallic elevator that lead me to the morgue's level. _Poor man, he should be taking advantage of his old age at home and, instead, he is here working on the nightshift_, I thought with pity as I waited for the elevator to reach the last floor counting from above. If it wasn't sordid enough to be working on the nineteen century's most famous serial killer, doing it in a mortuary made the experience even more superb. Well, thanks to that, Petra had to do the dishes for a month, so not everything was tiring in those last few days.

I walked down the too white and bright corridor, which end was made out of two metallic and well-polished doors. I wasn't 10 meters away from them and I could already listen to the music that Petra had been playing on her computer. It seemed to be _My Boy Builds Coffins_ by _Florence + the Machine_, it was a very appropriated song indeed.

As I entered, I quickly came faced with the image of Petra with a look of happiness in her features that always exceeded my comprehension in those working evenings. She was taller than me, but not by much and probably a size 8, I never bothered checking her sizes. To me she looked fine. Her enhanced curves and smaller waist sometimes were the only things men looked at when she crossed the street. One would look at her and guess that she was either from South America or from the warmer countries of Europe. She had a very distinct presentation, but was beautiful nonetheless, in a different way but she was. She had brown hair, divided in the dozens of thin African-like braids I had always seen her using, and eyes that contrasted with her slightly tanned skin and underlined her strong features. Both of us loved what we did at that time, of course. I worked as a criminal psychologist and she as a coroner. Her eyes even shone when she knew that there were more old bones waiting to be analyzed. Our thesis was based on trying to trace Jack's psychological profile with having the purpose of helping us understand who that man had really been. But the task was turning out to be a bigger workload than the one we were expecting it to be. Well, that was because no one had ever caught him, obviously, and the evidence that pointed in anyone's direction was too sketchy to be taken into account. Not to mention _Scotland Yard's _extreme generosity.

"Good morning!" She cheered happily, with a box of bones that were older than time in her hands. I was always a great fan of horror movies, but that wasn't a good enough reason for me to appreciate that sight. _She must be on crack! _I thought.

"Good morning?! Did you, by any chance, have a good look at the time and at where we are standing?" I exclaimed revolted, the fatigue and the frustration were killing me and my mood. Surely she was with her sleeping periods swapped to be so electric at that hour.

"It's 9 in the afternoon right now and we are in my mortuary, my little relaxing space. Where's my coffee? We have a long night ahead of us. I already did the anthropologic report and I'm going to put the bones in their respective boxes to send them back to the British museum". She answered excited, like she was trying to appease me as she put the box inside the metal cabinet, where we usually kept all of the material that we had used until then, and locked it with a small key, also made of out of metal. I looked around trying to understand where the relaxation factor she referred to was portrayed. To me everything had a cold appearance and was deprived of any possible comfort, not even the chairs where we sat were minimally inviting, they were also made out of bright metal, just like the rest of the furniture that decorated the morgue. It all gave the impression that the cleaning ladies had great fun polishing all of that metal.

"That's what's wrong, it isn't day and it's cold. How come you call relaxing space to a pile of rotten bones? Ah, and here's your coffee". I said while giving her the coffee and sitting on a spinning chair that was on the other side of the desk. In that side there was a pile, not of bones, but of old photos, letters and reports that _Scotland Yard_ had provided me with. If I wanted to be very creative and imaginative I could see them laughing and making fun of my sleeping and tired face. As much as I loved my job, I still hadn't gotten used to deal with all of the paperwork, I loathed doing it. After that I would have to take a trip, go on vacation to somewhere exotic, far from the cold and the piles of documents. Hawaii sounded just perfect.

While I tried to organize my space, Petra took off her smock, which had ceased to be white a week prior, and let her braided brown hair loose, of the elastic that was holding it. The white coat already had some yellow stains that hadn't come out with the bleach. She sat on the metallic chair that was in front of me. Usually, when there were too many papers to be examined, we shared the same desk.

"The osteological results are there." She informed me as she pointed in the direction of a bright blue folder that laid in front of me, while sipping a bit of the coffee that I had just brought her" It's really cold, thank you" she thanked with a smile playing on her lips. At least one of us had to show some excitement.

"You're welcome… I don't know how you drink that thing with all of this cold" I answered while pressing my lips in utter abhorrence, in my dictionary winter was the synonym for hot drinks. I eyed the pile of documents once again. "They could have been sweethearts and had it all summarized for me…" I protested as I leant over the desk, crossed my arms over it and buried my face in them. For some odd reason, the people of the British institute didn't seem to like me one bit. In another motivational attempt, Petra pushed my coffee forward.

"Come on princess, drink it. You'll need the caffeine, it's almost over. In what letter are you in?

"I know that we don't have much more to go through, but thanks to this job my lovely tea doesn't have any effect on me anymore." I grumbled before taking a long sip of the hot drink, my British roots yelling at me for gaining a horrible addiction to coffee. "I'm in the middle of the one that came with the kidney" I answered while pointing at the same cabinet that she had the bones locked in, there also was the said organ, preserved inside an old glass jar. Remembering the human body part made my stomach make a 180º flip. One thing was to be shown pictures of what the criminals had done, another was to have the physical evidence right in front of my eyes.

"Do you think it was the same guy?" She asked, this time with a more serious facial expression, as she put a song from _Enya_ playing. I suppose she did it to give the room a lighter mood, mostly for my sake. I stayed there thinking for some short moments before I found an answer to give her, trying to make a mental list of everything that was similar between that letter and the others that I had already read.

"I think so… The calligraphy, utterly horrendous, is the same, so is the way he describes what he did to those prostitutes. The speech is almost identical. He also makes smudges in the same places, as you can see here" I explained while grabbing an older letter, to point and to relate one same word on both of the manuscripts." Not to talk about the fact that, according to the reports, the cut used in the kidney extraction is identical to the one used in the mutilation of the other victims" I went on, now looking at her and drinking some more of the dark hot drink. In that moment I had went from my casual repertoire to a more professional one. For some reason, and as incredible as it might look, it has always been easy for me to travel between the two types of behavioral records. My friend of three years reclined on her chair and mimicked my gesture, traces of confusion gracing her distinct features.

"It's strange, because one of the osteological exams showed that he either changed his M.O. in the process or that he started enjoying making fun of the _Scotland Yard_ officers."

"Nothing that they didn't deserve" I lowly grumbled before quickly moving on. After that I knew I would hold a grudge against them for the rest of my life" If we were making bets I would choose the second one. Someone that makes such precise cuts and that sends letters to the police would, certainly, want some type of acknowledgement. If he was falling into the world's oblivion, it would be worthier to remind the officers of their incompetence" To me that was one of the most plausible explanations that we had, and we didn't have many.

"You're the psychologist, I just do the reports of my dear bones. Unfortunately they can tell us what happened". She answered me with a mocking manner as she drank the rest of the cold liquid at once. That was enough to make me shudder.

"I know, but unfortunately I'm no investigator" I said, I could have taken that degree if I wanted to, I had the competence to do it, but human behavior always had pushed my fascination upwards. "One day that's going to make you sick" I warned, referring to the way she had drank the iced coffee and, like usual, she laughed at my reaction.

"_The cold never bothered me anyway_". She happily quoted the song from the movie _Frozen_, but her animated pose was lost as soon as the lights of the morgue started quivering. It was odd, the Smithsonian was always very proud in having everything in the most excellent conditions, in any time of the day and the year.

"What the bloody hell…?" I exclaimed vexed as I eyed the lights on the ceiling. "Don't tell me they forgot to pay the electricity bill?" That had never happened before and we had been working there for two straight years. I looked back at Petra and noticed that her laidback posture had changed completely. Her back was straighter than usual, her arms remained still over the desk and her hands were slightly opened in the air, like she was waiting for something. What it was I could have never guessed. Her facial expression had also changed. On her forehead some creased lines, indicating some confusion, had formed, her brown eyes had gained a metallic shine and her light pink lips were firmly pressed against each other. She was very grim and appeared to be listening attentively. The last time I had seen her eyes like that was on the day my _dear_ ex had called me, some days later I discovered that he had become an eunuch. It was said that it had been a kitchen accident.

"Petra?" I asked worried, but received no answer from her. Instead, she got up from her seat and put herself behind the metallic door, with her back pressed against the white tilled wall. I was completely lost, I had never seen her reacting in such way. The mortuary lights kept flickering relentlessly, thanks to that my eyes started to burn a bit.

"What are you doing?" It should only be a power failure or some rat that had mistaken the cables for food and then gotten electrocuted, her behavior didn't make any sense.

"Quiet!" She ordered while grabbing an electric saw that was on the autopsy table, near the wall. That gesture only made my eyes widen, what was she doing? My confused state must have been obvious. I was standing still on my feet behind the desk, trying to understand her unusual behavior. Petra motioned me with her free hand to go to the other side of the room, her mouth exclaiming a soundless _"Go!"_ She was starting to frighten me deeply, it was like I was entering one of the horror films that I enjoyed watching so much.

"I'm going, but you have to tell me why!" I protested with a low voice, not really knowing why I was whispering nor why I was obeying her. As far as I knew she could have been having a bipolar crisis and showing a paranoid side of her that she had never shown before, at least directly.

Once again she motioned me to be silent and turned on the saw, the later starting to make an earsplitting sound. Instinctively, I crouch under a metallic desk and stood there, lurking through a gap that was between its top and front plate, I was starting to gasp for air and my panic was escalating quickly. The first thing that crossed my mind was that she was going to kill someone right in front of me. Suddenly the lights went out for good, the only thing illuminating the room were the streetlights. The sound of metal grinding slowly against the tilled floor echoed through the morgue and my eyes quickly found its source. The metal double doors were opening painfully slowly. Whoever was trying to pass by unnoticed was failing miserably at it. Bleach blond hair started appearing at the entrance, it was a woman, a very well dressed woman by the way. Her hair was straight and cut shoulder length. She had the features of a typical childish beauty that was so appreciated. However, her red blood eyes took away any innocence that she might have possessed, I had never seen eyes like hers. They were so cold, they didn't give away any kind of sentiment, but they also didn't seem to be like that due to some disease, they were part of her… Something about her screamed fear. I had to make a tremendous effort to lower my breathing and to keep myself in place so I wouldn't start running away from that mortuary.

As soon as she got in, Petra hit the woman in the head with the saw's base, it seemed that she was attempting not to hit her with the slicing part of it. However, with the strength of the impact, the instrument jumped in the direction of the desk that was beside the one I was hiding in and clashed against it. I was extremely lucky that time, for I almost lost my balance with the scare I got. The assault didn't cause the intruder any damage, since she grabbed Petra by the neck and threw her hard against the opposite wall. I had to cover my mouth to muffle a scream that was threatening to come out.

"Where is she?" The woman snarled. Who was she talking about? I curled around myself a little more, my instinct was screaming at me not to move a muscle, but my eyes couldn't break free from what was happening in front of me.

"I don't know who you're looking for" Retorted Petra calmly as she got up. It seemed that the fall hadn't caused her any kind of harm, in spite of the big dent that was left on the wall. She started moving slowly towards the fire alarm and the electric frame, while discreetly motioning me to move to the desk that was nearer one of the windows, which gave access to the street. The woman looked around, not paying any attention to what Petra was doing. "But certainly it isn't from someone from here" She went on, getting closer and closer to the alarm. I tried to crawl underneath the other table as quietly as possible but, by reflex, I lifted my head with too much strength and hit my head against the desk's metal top, making too much racket in the process.

"Fuck!" I bellowed as I place a hand on my head and another on my mouth once I realized my mistake. In a heartbeat, the red eyed woman appeared in front of my hideout and, with a strength that isn't usual on most women of her physical stature, she lifted the table and threw it against one of the walls, making it resonate metallically with an ear piercing bang. I was left exposed. The wide grin she made wasn't one bit soothing. She looked like a hyena eyeballing the meaty remains left by another animal, she looked famished. In spite of the few traces of light in the room, her way too white teeth contrasted sharply with her red eyes. At each step she took in my direction, the more I would drag myself to the window. That was until my back hit the wall that was near it. I was trapped.

"Shit…" I whispered. She was getting dangerously closer to me but, before she had the chance to touch me, the fire alarm sounded and cold water started pouring down inside the mortuary. I was petrified, it was like my muscles were completely out of my control, stiff like stones. With my eyes I still tried to find something sharp around me, but there was nothing. She probably noticed that I wouldn't be moving out of my spot anytime soon, so the blond quickly broke her attention from me and directed it back to Petra.

"I'll take care of you soon enough" She said with a voice so sweet that it would nauseate anyone, before turning her back to me. The stranger started walking in Petra's direction, the later opening the electric board. She grabbed my friend by the neck once again and held her against the white wall.

"Who are you?" She demanded with a very deep accent. Instead of answering her, Petra kicked her in the gut and punched her face. She took the chance that our attacker was momentarily disoriented and pulled the colored wires out of the board, making bright sparks crack soundly around her.

"Kath, get out!" My friend yelled at me, destroying some more wires in the process, the number of sparks increasing quickly around her as she did so. The water hadn't ceased falling and the alarm was still making a thunderous sound.

"Run as much as you wish, I'll be taking care of you right away." The woman snarled at me, before spitting the blood that was dripping from her mouth. What did she want from me?! In the next second she was standing up and next to Petra, my panic rising. I didn't even see her getting up, it was like she had teleported… Finally my synapses had come back to life and I felt an outflow of adrenaline flowing in my veins. I ran to the window that could be opened as quickly as I could, making a great effort not to slip and fall in the water that was accumulating on the floor. Once I got there, I was able of, very ungracefully and with every cell of my body trembling, opening the window and climbing it.

As soon as I started running, and was about 15 meters away from the building, a loud explosion was heard, followed by a blinding light and a strong air wave. The impact made me fall and hit my head on the ground, scrapping my knees and my palms. Once I recovered from the fall, I turned around and my eyes became wide with dread, there was no more light, just darkness flowing from the window, the alarm kept on echoing. Petra was still inside the mortuary and I couldn't do anything to help her. Tears started mixing with the dirt that was covering my face and the blood that started flowing from the cut that I had gotten on my forehead due to the fall. I got up and ran as fast as I could but the wet jeans started clinging to my skin, making my run become much more difficult and tiring. I remember that, in that precise moment, I cursed so much that I was certain a sailor would have been proud of me.

It was getting harder and harder to breathe because of the cold winter's air, at some point my throat was already scratched and stinging, the metallic taste of blood hitting my taste buds. I looked back several times, waiting to see Petra or the other woman following me but I always came faced with a dark and empty path. Several times I wished to turn around and play something I certainly wasn't: brave.

At some point I could barely run, I was losing all the energy I had in my legs and the car was still parked far away, _"Yes Kathryn, today was perfect one for you to park Otso in the darkest corner of the parking lot" _I scolded myself, completely exhausted. But there were more important questions that ran across my head. The first wished to know why the blond wanted me, the second debated with the abnormality of her bloodied eyes. They weren't normal, could she be using contacts? Or did I have an ill psychopath coming after me?

Finally I reached Otso, Petra's dark red _Hummer_. My legs were too sore for me to keep on running. I was terribly out of shape. Still trembling, I tried to find my copy of the keys somewhere inside my black coat's pocket. Once I found them, I tried to fit one of them in the lock but, with the amount of nerves and anxiety that I had boiling inside me, I clumsily let them fall on the ground. The adrenaline and the panic didn't let me acknowledge the presence of the person that was standing behind me. While I was crouched on the ground, looking for the keys that had fallen beneath the car, I noticed a pair of wet black boots appearing behind me and I quickly turned round. It was Petra, she was dripping wet from head to toe and stank of smoke. She opened the red car with her key, roughly grabbed me by the arm, took me to its other side and made me sit down on the passenger's seat, after this she put on my lap what it seemed to be a loaded silver arbalest. My eyes became wide once more. How the hell had she survived that explosion? That would have killed anyone. My head was racing, I didn't even notice when she got into the driver's seat, turned on the ignition and started driving. I was only able to react when we were leaving the city's limits and reaching the highway.

"What the fuck is going on?!" I yelled in panic.

"We were attacked by a vampire." She answered very serious as she adjusted the rearview mirror. Physically she seemed to be just fine. Even though she was completely drenched, she wasn't the slightest affected by what had happened. "You have some explaining to do. Why was she specifically after you?" She went on as she eyed the side mirror, maybe to see if we were being followed. _"After me?!"_ I thought, she must have been crazy, I had never seen that woman in my life. "And hold that thing straight!" She commanded because I had barely touched the crossbow that laid on my lap, I didn't even know what to do with it. I eyed her in a mixture of scandal and panic.

"I am the one that has to explain something?! How come: vampires?! Until one hour ago, to me, the only ones that existed were the ones from _Bram Stoker_!" I protested, I had been thrown into a situation of which I didn't know anything about, I was completely lost. In my world vampires weren't real, they were just products of imagination and folklore, nothing more than that. I eyed the weapon that was on my lap. "And take this bloody thing off of me!"

With that Petra passed a curb so briskly that I was amazed at how we hadn't been thrown into the ditch.

"Keep that straight or it'll shoot!" She bellowed at me once again, like I knew how to use it. Meanwhile, she honked and straightened the _Hummer_ on the road, passing through 6 or 7 cars at once.

"I don't know how to use it!" I yelled as I clung to the car seat, the feeling of fear rising every time she made a more hazardous maneuver. It was like I had my stomach climbing up my esophagus. Petra checked the mirror once again and took the arbalest out of my lap afterwards, putting it on Otso's backseat. Apparently she was sure we weren't being followed.

"Forget it, we won't need it. Please tell me how you ended up being followed." She asked one more time, slowing down the car's speed to 180km/h. How was I supposed know?! She must have been out of her mind, I couldn't recognize her anymore. I was desperately trying to convince myself that everything of what was happening wasn't real, it was just one more nightmare I had to go through. Would I wake up if I pinched myself?

"You tell me, because I don't have a clue. You're the one that seems to be extremely versed on the matter." I fought back. I was the one that had fallen into that situation knowing absolutely nothing and she was questioning me. Petra rolled her eyes at my answer.

"Save the sarcasm. I promise I'll explain everything to you but, to know if we're safe or not, I need you to please answer me now. Or do you want some more of those on your heels?" She asked with her thumb pointing at the drunk, from where animalistic grunts could be heard. _"She put the woman in the trunk?! When did that happened?!"_

"But I don't know anything!" I fought back once more, while throwing my hands up at Otso's ceiling so I wouldn't hit my head there, even though I had my seat belt on. She was pressing more and more on the gas pedal, we reached the 200km/h in the middle of curbs, hills and fast changes of direction." Do you mind slowing down?" the faster the car went, in more panic I got in. The lights of the highway looked like smudges due to the speed.

"If we go any slower we might get some more unwanted company. Vampires are like lionesses, they rarely hunt alone" And the speed kept on rising, her foot firmly pressed against the gas." Are you part of anything weird, like blood cults? Do you know anyone that is part of one?

Her questions, apart from not helping me calm down in any way, were starting to solemnly unnerve me.

"For fuck's sake, are you daft or do you just pretend to be? I already told you, I don't know a thing!" I yelled once again, always looking back when that thing groaned. I wasn't going to sleep at night again, that was for sure. This couldn't be happening, it couldn't be real. With my outburst Petra stopped the car abruptly _in the middle of the bloody highway_. I almost hit the front glass with my forehead.

"Let's understand something here" She turned to me angry. Her wet hair was soaking her blouse, making it cling to her skin. "No screaming or shouting. I'll give every answer that you want but you won't shout at me." Scolded me like I was a 5 year old instead of a 26 grown woman. She started the _Hummer_ once again and it was only after two minutes of silence when she spoke again." Go ahead, make your questions" She said with a much calmer voice.

"I just got out of a near death experience and you tell me to shut up, that's positive." I was starting to get angry but knew I was in no position to start a fight between us, much less with Petra driving faster than 200km/h. "Now, do you mind explaining to me what that thing is, what just happened and how the hell to you know so much?"

"_That thing"_ is a vampire. What happened was a hunt, you being the obvious target. She wasn't expecting me today, she was waiting to catch you alone at the morgue. I've been dealing with this for a long time". She said while loosening the pressure she had on the gas, diminishing our speed to 160km/h. "And I already told you to hold your sarcasm. It's not helping and I need to think" She deeply sighed, getting annoyed". It doesn't make sense. Why would they go after you?

"Define _a long time._ " I inquired interested, I didn't understand anything of what she was saying but I decided to keep on making questions in a way to keep me from going completely insane and to try to find the smallest hint of logic in all of that.

"You don't want to know, believe me…" She answered lowly while taking a good look at the traffic signs and directions.

"Hum… Maybe not now but you are going to have to tell me everything sooner or later." If it was up to me the matter wouldn't die in that car ride.

"Whatever you want. Now let's make sure that we are safe. Do you have any family here on the states?" She inquired. I wanted to tell her to fuck off, she knew the answer for that very well.

"I don't have any family here, you know that." The only one I had left were my parents and grandmother, and they were all back in England enjoying their quiet lives.

"Okay, any friends that you could stay with?" She asked, eyeing the sky through the front window. I rolled my eyes annoyed.

"Do you really think that it's safe to stay with someone I know because, as you already said, I'm being hunted?" In my head that didn't make any sense, if I was in such danger it would be better for me not to get close to anyone else.

"We need a place to think and reorganize, and if you don't know…" She said, while turning the wheel, making the car spin around and entered a bumpy dirt road. "Let's see who does". She went on with a look of control and simplicity that would scare anyone. It was like she asking to go to street corner's coffee shop.

The dirt road was everything but straight, in one of the bumps I almost hit my head, again, against Otso's ceiling. I had to keep my hands up there for some support and physical safety.

"Who?" The answer was given to me by Petra's finger pointing at the jeep's truck. "Oh…" I retorted a bit forcibly, how she would do it was beyond me. My arms started to hurt so took my hands from the car's ceiling and clung back at my seat.

"Press there and search on the phonebook for a name starting with _A_ please. " She asked. Was she going to call the police? I did as she asked me, trying to hit the right buttons but my other hand never ceased clinging onto the seat, there were too many bumps and flaws on that road for one to stay perfectly still on one's seat. Fortunately, I was able to find the only name on the list that started with an "A".

"Is this one that says _"Andrei"_?" I asked. Who was he? She had never spoken to me about a guy named Andrei.

"Yes. Please, call him." She requested, her eyes always on the road.

"Hum… Okay." And with that I pressed the calling button. I was very confused, I didn't know who the man was nor why she wanted to call him. After two ringing sounds a deep but forcibly formal voice picked up.

"_Institute of Ignored Husbands, how can I help you?_ " What?

"Husband?" I whispered, she had never told me that she was married. Petra rolled her eyes once again. It was like she was expecting me to have that reaction.

"I'm surrounded by comedians. I have a _tracker_ inside my truck and Kath's here next to me almost having an apoplexy." She informed promptly. I didn't think that I was in such state, but after I did a small introspection I realized that I was in a far worse state then the one I thought I was in. However I looked back at her, confused, she spoke to him about me? How much did he know? There were 3 seconds of silence before there was an answer from the other side.

"_What do you need?_" His joking voice was completely gone. I kept looking confused at the device. My friend eyed me with worry stamped on her brown eyes before looking back at the dirt road.

"Can you locate Gabriel?" I arched an eyebrow, I didn't have the slightest idea of who she was talking about. Another husband whose existence was completely unknown to me? At that point everything was possible.

"_It's your lucky day, he's here with me. What was the tracker after?_

"Kath." after her short answer nothing else was heard, except from the roar of Otso's motor. But it didn't take long for Andrei to question her again, much more seriously this time.

"_Are you sure?" _

"Yep" She answered back, making a small popping sound at the end. For some reason, that confirmation froze the blood that I had running in my veins.

"W_e're in New York. Get your ass here. I'll meet you at the bridge_." He said in a more demanding voice. I didn't like where things were heading.

"You don't ha…" She started grumbling before being quickly interjected. Wow, there was someone that could interrupt Petra.

"I'm going and that's final. Oh right, hi Kathryn!" he greeted me more enthusiastically. From the corner of my eye I could see the brunette slowly facepalming and whispering _"Idiot"_, while driving with her other hand.

"Hum… I'm not really sure of who you are and of how you know me, but hi to you too." I greeted back very awkwardly. Having people knowing my name and me not knowing anything about them sounded very much like stalking.

"_You'll see me soon enough._" He laughed malevolently, that didn't make me feel any safer. "_Any idea on why they're after you?_" I just heard Petra whispering, what sound like curses from the tone she was using, in a language I had never listened to in my life.

"I don't have a clue." I answered shortly. How they thought that I knew something on the matter was beyond my understanding.

"_Okay then…When you arrive call me, the sun is almost shining and I have to sleep before the apocalypse breaks loose._" He answered back, yawning loudly. "_I'll have Gabriel here by an ear if I have to before you summon a demon with the shower of curses you're saying._" I looked dumfounded at the red and illuminated device, who the hell sleeps during the day?

"_Baiat_" she bite back aggressively.

"_I also like you very much. Kisses Kathryn!_" and with that the call ended. I needed some answers urgently. Petra had to give them to me.

"You know, now it would be a good time for some enlightenment on what's going on." I informed, feeling a little calmer. If there already were at least two people that spoke of the situation as a fact, it was a good time for me to start realizing that I wasn't going mad, even though I was still very nervous. Petra turned the car on a 180º curb. With so much stress packed inside me I only noticed that the sun was starting to rise and shine, even if it was at a minimal rate, in that moment.

"I agree." She answered as she drove Otso into a clearing. "Let's take care of the more pertinent ones."

"You can start, I don't know if I should ask you first about what you have in Otso's trunk or about the husband you never told me about." That made her role her eyes once again. The reaction was becoming strangely frequent.

"He is my husband, but he isn't." That wasn't an answer, she was married to him or she wasn't, she couldn't be both. "As for the thing in the truck…" She said as she stopped the car on a hill, before quickly getting and leaving the driver's door wide open. "We are going to take care of that now."

"We are?" She was mad for sure, what did she want me to do? My mental question was quickly answered when she opened the backseat's door behind me, took the crossbow out and, after opening my door, put it back on my lap.

"Follow me." She demanded as she walked to the trunk where the said vampire was. For some odd reason one could very easily smell burnt pork coming from there, it was a quite strong smell.

"I don't know if that's such a good idea…" I mumbled, eyeing the object that was once again in my possession. "And why the hell does it smell like barbecue?" I asked while putting my head out of the car. I came faced with the vision of Petra dragging a cage by a chain out of Otso, it seemed to be made out of cast iron. From what I could perceive, she dragged it about 20 meters away from the car.

"Come here, please!" She asked, clearly with no patience for me questions. The woman was shrunken inside the cage like an animal taken from the wild, bloody tears streamed down her pale cheeks. From the position she was in, she seemed to be trying desperately not to touch the cage's bars.

"Alright, alright, I'm going. I still don't what do need me for, but I'm going." I got out of the car reluctantly and went in her direction. For safety I stood against a tree that was nearby and made aim at the vampire. I felt much safer inside the jeep. 10 seconds went by and no one did or said a thing. Petra seemed to be waiting for the first rays of sunshine to hit the woman's fair skin. As soon as that occurred, the smell of roasted meat came back and she started screaming in perfect agony. At that Petra sat down in front of the cage, observing everything with absolute attention.

"Name and why, or I'll leave you here frying." My friend demanded.

"Why should I tell YOU that, witch?" The vampire bite back hysterically.

"It's either that or you dying roasted. And believe me when I say that it's better for you to die as quickly as possible instead of me leaving you in the sun, bit by bit." I had the feeling that either option would make me throw up dinner.

"I don't see how that could be of any benefit, I'll die either way." the woman answered, smiling almost victoriously. _"Congratulations Sherlock, you're a logic genius"_ I thought skeptically_._ The brunette scratched the cage using the tip of Otso's key, which made the vampire cover her ears with her hands. Her face held an agonizing expression. Maybe the cage wasn't made out of iron as I had initially assumed. That sound didn't have any effect on me, it just bothered as much as nails scratching a table slate do. How come it caused her so much pain?

"You better give me what I want or your death is going to be a very, very slow and painful one." Her joking voice was starting to become uncomfortable. I didn't know how, but it looked like she had played interrogator before.

"You'll need more than that to convince me, sweetie. I'd rather die than to tell you anything. Plus, I don't know why you're having so much trouble, that piece of meat with an expiring date coming to an end isn't worth half of it." In that moment, despite the sick feeling that the stench in the air was causing me and the fear that crackled up my bones, I felt extremely insulted. I tried to hold the crossbow more securely and aimed it at her head but, if it came to shooting, there was a big chance I would miss the target. Petra went back to the truck searching for something. Once she succeeded, she came back with what seemed to be a silver flask in hand. From where I was standing I could see an insignia carved there, what it stood for I couldn't understand. But the vampire could, even at 20 meters away, for her red eyes widened up in sheer fear.

"Do you know what this is?" Petra asked, in that moment she was the one grinning. I didn't like that smile at all.

"I'm not going to tell you a thing!" The other fought back roughly, making a point to show off her white sharp canines. Fangs, like the ones snakes possess.

"This…" Answered the brunette as she put her index finger inside the flask, only to take it out covered in a liquid substance as dark as oil. "Isn't holly water, _sweetie_." _Oh for the love of God, please tell me that isn't blood, _I silently prayed.

"Dead men's blood?" She asked in exasperation, as her eyes went even wider than before. _"Shit"_, I thought to myself. I felt my insides twisting and turning, creating a nauseating knot. Petra crouched in front of the cage, her facial expression dead serious.

"Some drops of this and your stay in the sun should turn out to be a very interesting one." My friend informed as she made a string of liquid fall above the cage, onto the female's forehead. As soon as the liquid hit her, the vampire started screaming louder than before. Where the liquid oozed the skin was spontaneously decompose and smoke would start to coming out of the burn, it was already possible to see the muscle. I believe that, if Petra added some more drops, I would be able to see her cranial bone. The reek was becoming nauseating. I had to close my mouth so I wouldn't throw up right there and then. The prisoner seemed to be more stubborn than tough for, even gasping heavily, she made sure to expose her canines even more and to provoke Petra even more.

"You'll need a lot more than that to make me talk." The sun was rising slowly, but not enough to keep her safe from its rays. As each minute passed, more and more smoke stemmed from her, her skin slowly gaining carbonized hues. Whoever witnessed the scene from afar would believe that we were making a simple bonfire.

"Fine by me, I have all day to see you roast. Inside that cage it will take at least 7 hours." She had definitely done that before. The vampire remained thoughtful for some long moments, moaning when the burning pains intensified. "What is it in for me if I tell you?"

"A quick death." the brunette answered while inspecting her nails, as if she was pondering if she should make a manicure appointment or not. How could she be speaking of killing with such cold blood?

"Define _quick_, witch." The creature asked. Witch? That had been the second time she had referred to Petra that way.

"7 seconds." I was going to miserably regret watching what was about to take place.

"Hum… Deal." The inquired answered after some silent seconds of thinking about it. With that Petra made her way to Otso's truck once more and came back with what seemed to be a sound recorder.

"Go ahead." She encouraged.

"My name is Carmilla Jenkins and I'm a _freelance tracker_. I was asked to localize her and bring her to _Him_. If you're as smart as you seem to be you don't need any more hints." _Sorry? Who wanted what with me?!_ I thought, my eyes big in alarm. I was left astonished, but Petra's stare became more serious than before, which made me believe that she knew who the other was talking about. That was another answer that had to be done later.

"Why does he want her?" Petra asked. _"Who's he?"_ My head kept asking.

"I don't know." she hissed, the rays of sunlight still burning her skin. "He just sent a message requiring the captures, hers and five others. He wants us to take them into some kind of lab."

"Who else knows about her and how did you find her?" She kept on questioning as she put the flask ready to drop its content on her.

"Only one more tracker, Jade Wilson. Your friend wasn't hard to find, I could feel her scent from miles away. I was just passing by when I sensed her. And you want to know something?" She asked as she maliciously smiled and looked at me dead in the eye. I swallowed hard. "If I found her this easily and I'm only a hundred years old, imagine how quickly _He'll_ come when he knows where she is."

"Have you met him?" She asked, smiling cynically.

"Unfortunately no, or I guarantee you that I wouldn't be here about to die!" I only saw Petra's smile widen and her legs getting her even closer to the cage.

"But I know him very well and he doesn't give a fuck whether you die or not. Good luck on your trip to Hell." Petra said in a confiding tone as she poured all the blood over the vampire's golden hair, taking in advantage the fact that the sun was shining more brightly over the cage. In that moment I was sure that her shouts were heard from miles away. I saw her skin fall apart in shreds and her muscles starting to show. Once these were burnt down, it was time for her bones to degenerate into dark ashes on the ground. When the burning process ended, a cold winter rush of air picked up and her remaining ashes dissipated into the morning's air, creating a dark cloud. Those images would me branded in my memory for the rest of my life, that vision was too brutal to be forgotten. I couldn't hold the vomit in any longer, I couldn't take the twirls my stomach was making, that had been the last drop. I tossed the crossbow on the floor and ran in the direction of the nearest bush, bended over and I let it all come out. All of sudden I felt Petra's hot hands pulling my hair away from my face while I emptied my insides. It tasted awfully but in the end it felt relieving. When it was over I could barely walk, Petra had to help me walk back to the car and carefully seat me and then she packed up everything she had used.

"Now to New York. Questions?" She asked as soon as she sat on the driver's seat. I lowered my head in between my knees, everything around me was spinning fast and my head was uncomfortably light. I felt the car's motor starting.

"Many but just let me make sure my stomach gets back in place first." I mumbled.

I can't remember very well the path we took, but I know that in one hour we stopped at a tacky gas station full of truck drivers, so we could change clothes. She had some spare ones inside the truck, they were about four times my size but they made the trick. What else was inside Otso? Meanwhile, I also had the chance to put something on the wound I had on my forehead and to sterilize my knees and hands before I got an infection. _Trying to walk in the following days should be a painful adventure, _I mentally groaned.

Petra gave me a small glass bottle that contained an opaque green substance. She told me that it was to cover up my odor. That sounded extremely strange and dubious but I didn't protest. I opened it and tried to figure out what it was made of, but the smell was so complex that I couldn't figure it out. The only thing I could perceive was that it was made out of a weird mixture of herds. It also didn't have a very pleasant smell or taste if I might say. I drank it without asking questions, but I did ask her what was going to happen to our jobs. She said that she had already sent a message to the institute, saying that we had had a family emergency and that we would be gone indefinitely. We continued our trip in the direction of our destined state, eating some sandwiches we had bought at the gas station. _What's happening with my life?_ I asked in silence before blacking out in my seat, exhausted.

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_Baiat_ (Romanian) - Boy


	2. Numb

**Disclaimer: we do not own Van Helsing and Dracula, just the OCs that appear. Them being Kathryn, Petra and Andrei. They are utterly OURS *possessive mode on*  
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**We are sure that any of you will give us a reason to kill you in your sleep, right? *murderous face and evil grin***

**We want to thank the reviews we go on the previous chapter and we tried to comply to some of the changes you guys proposed, but we found it hard to cut back on the details. **

**Please review!**

**Kisses***

**P.S.: We heard some people complaining that it is a bit dififcult to read on FanFiction due to the small letters and to the background's brightness, but we want to let you know that there are options on the beginning of each chapter that allow you to change enlarge the font size and to change the contrast (black background and white font).**

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**II.**

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"_Fear is all I hold_

_Bound and beaten down_

_All the pain I can't escape today_

_Is always with me"_

_Tear The World Down, _We Are The Fallen

I was sleeping soundly, with no dreams tiring my mind, when a rather rough bump woke me up. I slowly opened my eyes, feeling my head too heavy and disoriented to be able to open my eyes with the usual speed.

"It's good to see you, sleepyhead." Petra said with a more strident voice than the one I would have liked to hear. I held my head with both hands in a slightly stupid attempt to stop the buzzing sound that was giving me headaches. How long had I been slumbering? It must have been a lot of time. Even Petra's voice sounded distant with so much buzzing, it could be strident but it was like it was a blurred image. Darned coffee addiction.

"Hum?" I stupidly groaned as I glanced around, still a little confused. The sights were becoming more clear as the seconds went by, the same happened with the driver's voice, whose thin braids were being held by her faithful white hairpin.

"_Otso_. Vampires. It's all real." My brain blocked for some moments, only to start working again at full speed, remembering everything that had taken place before I blacked out. Shit, for some moments I swear that I thought that all hadn't been anything more than another, extremely vivid, nightmare and that I was going through my very first hangover.

Desperately, I wished to go back to the state of unconsciousness that I had been until then, anything was better than that situation… Well, on a second thought, it could be much worse, I could be dead. Only then was when I realized that I was awake, it wasn't a nightmare but my life. "Welcome to New York." My friend continued as she guided _Otso_ inside the big city.

I looked around, everything seemed to be too much for someone who has just woken up. There was too much movement and noise on the streets. The city was covered by a soft white layer, it seemed that a blizzard had taken place during the day, and there were columns of dark smoke coming from the buildings' chimneys and small food stands.

It was the first time I had set foot on the busy city, I only wished that it had been in another occasion. However, I don't know how, I couldn't bring myself to remember the reason why we were there. I glanced up at the sky and noticed that it was becoming darker. That was strange, because I remembered falling asleep around 8 p.m.

"Care to explain me, again, why we came here?" I inquired as I yawned loudly. Even though my head was still remembering and sorting out what I had lived and seen, I still felt it very slow. Petra let out a slight and tired sigh escape as she turned on _Otso_'s gadget. I saw her clicking on the menu and choosing the _SMS_ choice, where she quickly typed a very simple sentence, _Bring coffee_. Then she sent it to the same Andrei we had spoken to before. "How long was I out?" I asked as I covered my eyes with my hand and slid down the seat. One by one, the street lights began to light up.

"23 hours." She stated while entering a grey parking lot that had several stories, it seemed to be a tad full. But, 23 hours? And she still let me sleep? No wonder my head was in the state I had it in. If only10 hours of slumber made me a little slower during the day, 23 would make me incapable of functioning.

We were able to find an empty spot in a rather dark area of the parking lot. She parked _Otso_ and turned him off, oddly leaving the key in the ignition.

"Try to wake up okay? We'll have to walk from here but Andrei will get us at the bridge." She asked, turning to me. Right after that she got out of the car, took the arabesque out of the backseat and made her way to the trunk.

"Easier said than done." I grumbled lowly before a loud yawn escaped my lips and I dragged myself out of the red jeep. As soon as I was out a horrendous cold air hit my bones, making me straighten up as quickly as it made me wake up, I had to hug myself in order to maintain the body heat I had left in me.

Petra closed the truck while carrying a rucksack on her back and came closer to me, eyeing the car. I noticed the slightly sad look her eyes were giving _Otso_. I eyed him as well.

"Are you sure you want to live him here?" I asked as I got caught in a wave of pity and guilt. I knew that Petra had an abnormal fondness of the blood red jeep and I remember how much I liked him as well. I had a great difficulty in getting rid of anything.

"I have to…" She answered solemnly as she dragged her palm along the car's smooth hood, her face holding an unpleased expression. I looked around and noticed that most of the cars that were parked there where covered in thick layers of dust, the building didn't even had lights. It looked like a car graveyard. Maybe no one would take him. "Let's head to the bridge." She grumbled as she made a tremendous effort to take her eyes off one of her most praised possessions and to turn her back to it, as she made her way to the parking lot's exit.

I stood there looking at the vehicle for a while longer. It was stupid but I was feeling remorseful for abandoning him there.

"It feels like we're abandoning a puppy… Well, if it has to be… Let's go then…" I turned my back and followed my friend with every cell of my body trembling with the cold.

"You're really sleeping." She joked as we entered the busy streets. I was starting to hate that place. There were too many people and too much noise. The putrid smells of exhaust smoke were making me slightly dizzy. The cold wasn't helping either. Even if I wanted to turn off my system and focus on another thing other than my surroundings, I would never be able to in those conditions.

I couldn't understand how New York was considered such an attractive destination. Not even the people seemed to be welcoming, they ran instead of walking on the concrete pavement, not even one apologized when they bumped against one another. This city didn't have anything of xenial or polite, but then again, most big cities don't. My roots, of a woman raised in a much less exuberant town, hated this kind environment. That's why it was so difficult for me to enjoy such unnecessary and annoying apparatus.

I followed Petra through the snow filled streets, always paying attention to where I set my feet on, so I wouldn't fall again.

"There's too much noise." I muttered, more to myself than to anyone in particular. The noise of the cars mixed with the racket of the constructions was unbearable to my ears. "Where were we supposed to meet with this Andrei anyway?"

From what I knew from the individual's personality, it should be a rather interesting encounter. I didn't know what to expect and not knowing left me even more disturbed. Although I didn't show it, I was in a state of panic that was almost catatonic. I knew that I wouldn't scream hysterically. I had learnt, some years prior to these events, that it wasn't worth it, who doesn't want to help or to understand simply won't do it. There were people that reacted in excess, I apparently reacted by default.

Even after what I saw in those 48 hours, it was still hard to believe in the existence of vampires. Maybe this was still a nightmare from which I couldn't wake up.

"At the bridge. The sight is quite beautiful." She answered me with a calm voice as she walked and fixed her backpack. The fact that the sight was nice didn't leave me any less apprehensive.

"I'm going to trust your word." I said as I suggestively pointed my index at her. However, as those hours went by, I seriously doubted if I should trust her or not. I think that the only thing that kept me from running away from all that mess was the fact that, apart from the friendship we shared for 3 years, she had saved me once again. I piously believe that, had I fled, I would already be dead.

"Kath, your questions?" She asked when we arrived at the bridge. I glanced around, the sight was truly beautiful. The shy warm hues of the winter sunset, reflected on the calm and gelid waters of the river, gave the white painted city another portrait. What questions did I have?

"HHHhiojefHHbwp03e9rthjhnfdsfiojum… First: do you know why they're after me?" I inquired with a serious voice.

"I have my suspicions but it's going to take a while to explain them to you. When we arrive at somewhere safer I'll tell you everything." She promised when we stopped in the middle of the bridge, both of us were hit by freezing cold blasts of air that were caused by the cars the passed by at full speed.

My patience was wearing thin, she had been avoiding my questions but I would make her talk as soon as we arrived at that so called safer place.

"Look at this city…" She exclaimed as she motioned at Manhattan's area that was on the other side of the bridge. "Just glass and metal. Ah! I almost forgot…" Petra remembered as she took a small dagger out of her bag, it seemed to be made out of silver but I couldn't be sure. It was a very simple weapon and had the same insignia I had seen before. I made a mental note to ask her about the symbol's meaning later. "Here, hide it in your sleeve. Just in case."

I stood eyeing her bemused, what the hell did she want me to do with it? I didn't have any practice on wielding weapons and she knew it. Not to talk about the astonishment that was to know that she had an arsenal with her. Did she have the cage hidden inside that bag as well or did she leave it with _Otso_?

"What do you want me to do with this? And why the hell to you carry daggers, crossbows and blood around?" I asked a little more exalted than what I intended to be. My answer was given by Petra's well marked eye roll. Later, when I recalled everything that had happened, I noticed that I probably was a little annoying, but who wouldn't have been in that situation?

"You didn't get it yet? I'm a kinf of _Buffy_. And that is used in the same way you carve a steak."

"I know that, I'm not an imbecile, but in what?" I asked, completely stupefied.

"In what tried to kill you?" She answered sarcastically, like it was the most obvious answer in the planet and like I was going to come across anymore of those beings in a near future.

"Okay…" I attached the knife onto my forearm and inside my sleeve. I didn't know how to walk around armed but I would hide that with me, it wasn't a bad idea to be protected, even if it was just a little. "You'll still have to explain me that story but for now, who's Andrei?" If she wasn't going to answer to anything else, she had to give me at least this.

She was hunched over the side of the bridge facing the sunset, her eyes closed enjoying the icy breeze.

"You're going to meet him soon, but don't attack him. He's one of the few that doesn't kill humans." I almost lost my balance. She had to be jesting, she had killed a vampire not even 48 hours prior and now she was telling me that we're going to meet another. "These imbeciles love pollution." She went on, twitching her nose due to the odors that filled the air, like the answer she had given me was completely normal.

"Excuse me?! Do you mind saying it again?! I don't think I quite understood what you said, he's a vampire?" My synapses must have collapsed by then.

"Yes, but he doesn't feed on humans till the point of death." She answered before a sailor appreciatively whistled at us, and Petra, as gracious and as kind as ever, replied by giving him the middle finger.

I lamented soundly.

"What have I gotten myself into?" I asked more to myself then to Petra but I was sure she had heard me clearly. What had happened to my life? Then I recalled that she had spoken about a Gabriel, was he another vampire? "And that Gabriel? Please don't tell me he's one as well."

"It's more what have they got you in." She corrected seriously, looking at me face to face. The sun had already set and the electrical lights brightened the night covered city. The cars kept passing from one side to the other, she had to raise her voice a bit for me to hear her properly. "Gabriel is another thing, but that's for him to tell you. None will hurt you." She paused, looking at me with guilt gracing her features. "I'm sorry, okay? It was never my intention to lie to you or to hide something from you, much less to get you into this mess."

I could forgive her, I knew that sooner or later I would, but completely it would take a while. It was all too much to process.

"But you did it extremely well" I commented very seriously and a bit bitterly. In the 3 years, that I knew her and where we shared a house, never in my right mind would I have guessed what she was hiding. She had never said or showed me anything and that was angering me a bit. I leaned against the bridge. "But having in mind that you saved my life, I'll accept your apologies when I'm given a very strong coffee".

She rested her body against the bridge, irritated and rearranging her hairpin.

"If it had been my fault it would be okay, we would solve it easily, but having a _tracker_ after you doesn't make any sense. And why you out of all the people of this that planet I could befriend?" She mumbled to herself.

Indeed, it didn't make any sense whatsoever, I didn't even have a plausible explanation for what had occurred. Snowflakes started falling softly.

"Fuck, I left my coat at the gas station. Well, there's no turning back now. Can you explain to me what a _tracker_ is, please?" I asked as I rubbed my arms to create some heat. The sweater she had given me was too baggy for my size and didn't protect me from the cold wind that started to rise.

Petra was still hunched over watching the river, which was as dark as the night sky and lighted only by the thousands of city lights. One could see the small flakes flowing throw the air due to the bridge's lamps.

"_Tracker _is what vampires that hunt a specific prey are called." She answered mechanically. I felt like an animal with a bounty on its head. The more she told me, the more surreal everything seemed to be. I was sure of what was going on, I had seen it with my own eyes, but it was hard to make my consciousness believe in it.

"Ah…"

"Good night, my ladies. It'll be my pleasure to hand lent you my coat if one of you holds these coffees." A slightly familiar voice sounded behind me. The shock of it made one of my hands fly to my head and the other to my chest. Had I been a cat, I would have fled.

Everything around us was so solemn and was only interrupted by the noise of cars passing through the bridge. The last thing I expected was to hear a jolly voice coming from nowhere. Was I so distracted that I couldn't perceive when someone got close to me?

Turning into the voice's direction, I came faced with a rather good looking man. In the beginning I had some difficulties in perceiving his features, but I could see that he had an extreme pale skin, much fairer than the vampire that had attacked us but not as white as the snow that piled up on the concrete ground. He wasn't palely ill, it was like the skin color of someone with albinism.

What was most impressing about him was his height. I felt smaller than ever with his arrival, he must have been around 1,90m tall. I was expecting to see the same bloodied eyes I had seen in Carmilla but his were light, even lighter than my blue ones. His were as grey as rainy days and, even having a normal color, they had something uncanny within them. _That's odd_, I thought to myself. Why were his eyes different? I could see them due to the light that came from a lamp near us.

His blond hair reflected the orange light of the street lamp. It was well combed back and already had a considerable length, only being out of place due to the wind that surrounded us. The light also reflected his well-drawn facial features, but not too much. Physically he didn't seem to be a too bodied man, although it was proportional to his height.

Underneath the layers of expensive clothing one could perceive that he was in excellent shape. I guess that, being a vampire, it was expected.

Even having in mind his physical appearance and the fact that, apparently he was a vampire, his presence didn't bother me much. However, I decided to keep my guard up, I wasn't ready to trust my life to a vampire after being attacked by one.

Inside I prayed that what Petra said was true, that he wouldn't hurt me…

"The coffee was only for her." Grumbled Petra, but with a small smile playing on her face. There seemed to be some contempt in seeing him.

"You've been driving for over 24 hours, don't be stubborn and do this for me." He countered, making a face and giving his voice a more serious signature. Meanwhile, he handed Petra both coffees and borrowed me his coat.

I didn't really know what I should do, I felt a little uncomfortable in that situation.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Kathryn, I've hear a lot about you." Andrei said very politely, before he helped me getting inside his black overcoat. I had to take a very deep breath no to eye her accusingly. I couldn't stand being lied to. I knew she had done it to protect me, but the feeling was unbearable.

In order to remain controlled I occupied myself with closing Andrei's coat around me. I looked like a scarecrow but at least I was warm.

"Thank you." I said with a slightly forced smile. I was truly grateful for the gesture but I was still a tad grouchy. "It's a pity I cannot say the same to you." I continued as I sent a suggestive look at Petra. I couldn't help it.

"That it isn't a pleasure to meet me or that you haven't heard of me?" He asked me as he pretended to be indignant. Petra handed me one of the hot cups of coffee and rolled her brown eyes.

"Ask me again in some hours and I'll tell you if it was a pleasure to meet you or not, but you already marked some points with the coffee and the coat. Thank you. And no, I was never spoken to about you." I answered with a smile. I know, I was being a big bitch but Petra didn't seem to have taken it the hard way, for she made an extremely innocent face as she drank her beverage.

He, on the other hand, seemed to be a little offended.

"You despiser, you could have said that I was, at least, your cousin." He mumbled as he grabbed her backpack. "Come, the car is at the end of the bridge."

I gripped tightly onto my coffee as I tried to warm my bruised hands, and drank two large gulps. I wanted to wake up completely. We walked the platform until its end in silence. It was still somewhat long but the path was done with ease. It was a straight bridge, with no ups and downs, and the sidewalk was big enough for us to be safely far away from the road.

We got out of the bridge and turned into a very noisy and colorful street, stopping in front of a black _Hummer_. These people had a weird appreciation for jeeps.

Andrei gave me his hand to help climb inside the car without stumbling over his overcoat. It was then when I noticed that his body temperature was similar to mine but just a little colder, it was the opposite of Petra's. After helping me, he took his place at the driver's seat and she sat by his side. The car smelt like brand new leather seats and had a small note of eucalyptus mixed in it.

"Is everything alright?" She asked him as her hand touched his leg. There was something strange going on there, the last time I saw her touching a man so intimately was for her to kick him in the crotch. The gesture seemed to have a calming effect on the blond vampire. There was, or had been, something between the two, that was for sure.

"Yes, I'm just trying to understand what's going on. Did you have any sequels?" Andrei asked worried.

"She was a _tracker_ and she was alone. We may have another one on our toes but I think we lost her back in DC." She answered quickly. I glanced through the window, seeing the lights passing through my eyes quickly and trying to organize my confused head. I felt like a nuisance in that situation.

"If she causes any trouble we'll take care of it." He affirmed like he was talking about going for a walk. He eyed me through the rearview mirror "You're reacting extraordinarily well." He commented surprised. It was a good thing that he couldn't see the state my head was in, or could he?

"Believe me, I'm not that well. I still don't know what I have to react to, exactly." Everything was too diffuse and the information too extraordinary for one to process it coherently. I still had the feeling that I was just dreaming and that I would wake up anytime soon.

I saw Petra reclining back on her seat and laying her head on its small pillow as she closed her eyes. Even saying no, one could see how tired she was and that she was in need of many sleeping hours.

"She's stronger than she thinks. She may burn her fuses two or three times but she quickly recovers them." She commented, while being very nice on the number of times. The brunette knew that I was freaking out and how I truly responded to stressful situations. Andrei also noticed her tiredness.

"Sleep a little Petra, please." He asked, his voice sounding concerned "Hey Kathryn." The vampire called me as he kept his eyes on the road. From the car's interior we could hear the muffled sounds of the busy streets, "Don't you have any obvious questions?"

"Hum… I have many questions, but obvious I just have one or two. First one: husband?" I asked innocently, trying to distract myself and to fulfill my curiosity. I knew that Petra would be a tad mad at me later but, at that moment, I didn't care anymore. If she didn't give me any answers, maybe he would.

Needless to say that he cracked up laughing at my so _innocent_ question and Petra removed her hand from his leg and turned in my direction.

"Kathryn, you're in a car with a vampire and your question isn't if you're going to turn into a blood sack?" Asked Petra with a slightly censorious voice. _You should have given me some more decent answers, now suck it up_, I thought to myself.

"I was already assured that my physical integrity would be maintained." I answered, and that wasn't a lie. Petra herself had told me as much. Her expression changed into one of annoyance.

"For a human, you're extremely clever. And yes, husband." He answered while looked at the braided brunette that had reclined back on her seat "As far as I remember we didn't get a divorce."

"It's impossible, it was by the Catholic Church, there's no divorce. But it isn't like we're really _married_." She grumbled. For some reason that seemed to be a subject she wasn't very fond of, unlike Andrei. He seemed much more at ease with the matter, almost like he was teasing her about it.

"That's not what the paper says." Answered the vampire, while forcing a joking and cartoonish voice that made her laugh.

"What paper? That was so long ago that it should be in an advanced state of decomposition by now. Forget it Kath, next question?" She continued. Well, at least I was sure that she was married.

I passed to my next question, one that had been haunting my thoughts ever since I heard Carmilla speaking.

"I'm going to leave that matter be, you two seem to have some matrimonial issues to solve." And they seemed to be a lot. "Now, a question that worries me the most, what was that story about _He_ wanting me? Who's _He_?" Petra made a face, she must have gotten fed up with that question.

"I already told you that it's long story sweetie, and we need to tell it to someone else as well, we need help to protect you. More questions please."

"You're stubborn." Now it was my turn to make a face, "Hum… How do you two know so much about this stuff?"

"Me it's kind of obvious. But Petra is different, she's been around for a long time." Answered Andrei, his eyes never leaving the road.

"How much? And please don't say _a lot._" I said with a very serious face, I was getting tired of half-answered questions.

"4 and something. Athanasius has been around for seven centuries." Petra replied, pointing at Andrei. My eyes went wide. Finally she was giving me some decent answers. But how could someone live for so long?

"I wouldn't give more than 30." As far as I knew Petra would turn 31 that year. It seemed that I was wrong. Both seemed to be extremely young, in their early thirties like I said, but that could explain why I had never seen a single physical change in Petra during the three years we had lived together.

"Thank you for the compliment, but I was changed when I was 33." Andrei remarked, chuckling a bit, "And Petra isn't 4 centuries old, she is 4 thousand." _4 thousand?_ No wonder she had never told me a thing.

"Thanks…" My friend mumbled a little angry. Did the quantification made her feel old?

"You're very well preserved." As odd as it may sound, I wanted to laugh. I was feeling comfortable around them and, without knowing why, that information didn't bother me. I still saw Petra as I had always seen her, that wasn't going to change just because I had found out that she had some more millennia weighing on her.

Petra turned around once again and eyed me surprised. Well, it should have been the third time in that half hour that I had left someone with their jaw hanging open.

"You must be the second creature, mortal or not, that doesn't get like this." She said as she widened her eyes suggestively. Meanwhile Andrei started laughing loudly and turned the car, arriving to a residential area.

The houses were all white, typically American and identical. Just another way society found to standardize people.

"I'm a criminal psychologist darling and, after these days, I've heard pretty much everything." It wasn't a lie, I had a high tolerance for what was an exception to common criteria. What was different and odd didn't bother me.

"Well, seeing things that way." My justification seemed to be enough, for she turned her eyes back to the road.

"Hey Kathryn, do you like dogs?" The vampire asked out of the blue. I crocked my head to the side and stared at him for some moments. That question was the most random one he could have chosen and, out of everything he might want to know, my taste on pets was the most intriguing.

"Athanasius!" Petra scolded lowly. _Okay… What's wrong with that question?_ I asked myself.

"I like them, I had a German Sheppard when I was little, why?" I asked intrigued.

The vampire drove us into a small residential neighborhood near the ocean, where houses looked like mansions. We stopped in front of a white one.

"Curiosity." His answer wasn't entirely convincing. From Petra, all that one could hear was her voice grumbling as he got out of the car to get her bag from the trunk and got inside the house with a hurried pace. I was getting out of the _Hummer_ when Petra came to me.

"Are you okay?" She asked concerned.

"For now." I wasn't, but I didn't want her to become any more worried than what she already was. Inside I had the slight feeling that it wasn't going to take me very long to become even worse.

"Come, let's get inside." She answered with an upset expression. Apparently she had understood that I had lied plainly.

When we crossed the gate we heard Andrei speaking in a purposely strident and affected voice from inside the house. "Honey, I'm home!" Immediately after that the sound of dishes breaking was heard.

My eyes widened and I glanced at Petra. She had her eyes set on the dark skies that stood above us with a sincere look on her face. It seemed that she was asking a superior entity for patience.

We crossed a small garden and entered the mansion. I came faced with an ample hall with a cream stone covered floor. It didn't have a very extravagant decoration, but one could see that there was taste in the choosing of furniture and ornamental pieces.

It was extremely minimalistic and there weren't any objects that were made out of porcelain and glass. The division was very well illuminated by white lamps, but they didn't hurt the sight of who entered. The furniture – a sofa, a small table and some bookshelves – was all in earthy colors. The room was embellished with some decorative vegetation flanking every door – the double one from which we had come from and the ones that led to other rooms.

"Is he gay?" I questioned Petra as I eyed her suggestively. The question was harmless, you can't judge me for being curious.

"AC/DC, darling." She answered while copying my British accent, which wasn't as deep as she made it sound like by the way. Meanwhile she helped me get out of Andrei's overcoat and hung it on the hanger that was on that Hall.

I didn't like it very much when she did that, she thought that my accent was funny and seemed to be jesting with me. But I understood what she meant, in British slang AC/DC, besides being the classic rock band, also meant bisexual.

"Oh!" I exclaimed in realization. Then we moved along to what seemed to be a white and blue living room. It was decorated with a nautical theme. The lamp that hung from the ceiling was swinging violently, like it had been pushed. That made the light of room be redirected several times and at several places, not maintaining its focus on anything.

Standing next to one of the walls was Andrei, with pieces of broken porcelain surrounding his feet, and on the other side of the room, next to a huge plasma TV, should be the one they called Gabriel. He was holding a white and blue ceramic vase and pointing it at the blond vampire.

Andrei had a very satisfied look plastered on his face, like what had happened was just what he wanted.

In the beginning I just stood there observing the scene that was before me with a raised brow, it was like going back to kindergarten and watching two boys fighting, but then my attitude changed when I noticed Gabriel more carefully.

He seemed to be a little older then Petra and Andrei, at least physically. He was a somewhat tanned man, like he had worked underneath the sun for many hours. He was wearing a simple sweater and a pair of jeans that suited him very well, the clothes didn't seem to be as expensive as Andrei's. The man had short hair and its color matched his eyes, both were brown. He was a little shorter than the vampire but had a more sculpted body, not in an exaggerated way, it was really attractive at an aesthetic level. By his features, the vestigial wrinkles and the slight tiredness that marked his face, one could guess that he was somewhere between 35 and 40 years old but, having in mind the others' real age, I doubted that he was that young.

In that moment I didn't know what I should do, I know that I must have looked like a cat evaluating an entirely new object. I didn't know if I should feel afraid of him or not, I was trying not to associate his _more masculine_ appearance with my arsehole of an ex.

I think that I became wearier of him than I did with Andrei for that reason, but I couldn't be completely sure. There was something different about him.

"Now, don't be rude, we have a guest. Gabriel this is Kathryn and Kathryn this is Gabriel, the one we were talking about." Andrei introduced us with a particularly malicious smile on his pale face.

"Hum… It's a pleasure…" I said a little bit embarrassed as I put out my hand. I was trying to understand what he could be. Gabriel stood still for some short moments, he looked at me like he had seen a ghost, which was strange because I had never crossed paths with him until that night. He recovered quickly from whatever hit him and put the vase on the ground, so we could shake hands.

"Likewise." He answered very hastily. As soon as my skin touched his I felt like I had gotten a small electrocution. Gabriel's body temperature was higher than Petra's, but not by much. _Well, it's positive_, I thought to myself, _you're definitely not a vampire_. But the fact that I didn't know what was wasn't bothering very much, it was something else. I started to feel uncomfortable and restless, it was like my chest was tightening. For some moments it got a little harder to breathe.

I was pulled away from my thoughts when Petra clapped her hands loudly one time.

"Everyone to the table, please." She demanded as she started undoing one of the many brown braids that covered her head. I was finally going to see her without them. Everyone sat down around a long mahogany rectangular table. I sat in one of the sides alongside Petra. The men sat in front of us, Andrei in front of me and Gabriel facing Petra. It was then when the courteous smiles ended, we were all much more serious.

I got the impression that that would be the moment when I would know what was really going on.

"You tell or I do?" Andrei asked Petra, who had a solemn expression on her face.

"I do. Kathryn will catch what she can but even mortals know who Vlad is. Well, minimally." I was already dreading the conclusions of that conversation. Was she telling me that Dracula was real?

"I'm don't see is to what extent." And it was true. What I knew was written in historical and fictional books.

I didn't know if they were real or not, until that night they were completely _fictional _to me.

"What you know is already enough." Answered Gabriel with a patronizing tone, he didn't even look in my direction, which was somewhat irritating given the situation. Not to mention the fact that I needed to know exactly what was going on, hiding information wouldn't help me cooperate.

Petra didn't seem much appreciative of the commentary either, because she glanced a bit angrily in the brown haired man's direction. The later, at least, had the decency to act somewhat admonished.

"Okay, the problem is that the gentleman is alive and had a very good health. But, seeing that you assassinated his last experiment and since Frank has already died, my idea is that he has resumed the project." She said in Gabriel's direction. With the news his sitting posture became starker and his facial expressions hardened, "He must have understood that with female vampires it won't work and decided to turn his attentions to mortal women." Petra explained. I stood there paying as much attention to what she was saying as I could. Meanwhile my stomach started rolling and writhing into a tight ball.

"The Vatican didn't inform me of anything, are you sure?" Gabriel asked with very serious and a slightly surprised look on his face. The Vatican was also in the middle of this?!

"Do I have to remind you that before the Vatican was even a rock, I was already here?" She asked as she undid the rest of her braids, "And the vampire's conversation seemed to be accurate." She got up, went to her bag that was on the couch and came back, putting the recorder on top of the table. The device started reproducing everything that Carmilla had said.

Listening to everything once again wasn't a very pleasant feeling. I already had the notion that I was supposed to be part of some lab experience, but of what type?

Gabriel remained attentively listening to the recording and once in a while he looked at me, he seemed worried and confused. There was some regret in his features, but I couldn't be sure. I still hadn't heard a word coming from Andrei, but the lines on his forehead creased and his grey eyes looked like metal orbs. I was getting more frightened as the minutes went by and eve more panicked when the vampire referred to me.

At the time the questioning seemed to be rather short but now it appeared to be much longer. I don't know if it was due to the fear that I now held, to the adrenaline of the time or because I was starting to understand what was going on. Finally the recording came to an end.

"What happened exactly? The leech didn't tell me anything." Gabriel said, probably mentioning the blond. Petra looked at me and motioned Andrei with her head. The later left the room and went in the direction of what seemed to be a kitchen. Had that been telepathy?

"I believe that Kath is one of the "genetically viable" humans." Petra informed while making the gesture of quotation marks with her fingers. _Genetically viable for what?!_ What the hell did she mean with that? I was getting even more confused. I swallowed dry before speaking as I tried to find my voice.

"What does that mean, exactly?" The words seemed to be imprisoned inside my throat, for it was hard even to speak them.

"It means Kathryn that we will need to be very careful with you. He's searching for viable uterus for his spawn." She said very quickly as she observed me with some apprehension in her brown eyes. I felt my body temperature dropping drastically, "The lady came into the morgue when we were working. She wasn't definitely expecting me and we need to worry about the other _tracker_, Jade. Of course that…" She referred while turning to Gabriel and to the vampire that now arrived with a cup of warm water with sugar, which he gave me, "They may not come, but…"

"That's out of the question, better be safe than sorry." The vampire exclaimed. Gabriel remained solemn, the aging wrinkles particularly creased.

"If the others become of no used for the experiments will he come after her?" He asked.

"Mandatorily." I drank the sweet water with one large gulp and lost all the color I had left in my face.

I couldn't have any children, what would he do once he found out? He would kill me for certain…

"Basically, what you're telling me is that, either way, I'm fucked." I commented as I started to feel my breathing stuck in my lungs. I wasn't foreseeing a happy ending to this story.

"Only over my dead body I'll let him lay a hand on you." Both men reacted at her statement. On Andrei's face appeared a pained expression, as if she had physically hurt him, while Gabriel looked like he was ready to give her a lecture. There had to be a story behind those words and, if there was, both didn't seem to enjoy it much. She ignored their expressions, "So, if you want to come, we'll have to split tasks. Fake documents, everything of sorts and a particularly sunny place for us to get settled in. Kathryn, do you have a dream holiday destination?"

I was worried about the course my life could take, which was either inside a casket or miraculously pregnant with a centenary vampire's offspring, and she asked me about my dream holiday. It didn't make any sense, I believe that I couldn't even think of a country due to my state of shock.

"Do you really think this is the appropriate time to ask me that?!" I exclaimed perplexed.

"We need a place to settle in, sweetie." She answered calmly as she finished undoing the last braid. It was rather strange to see her with loose and finely frizzled hair due to the time it had been braided. It didn't look bad on her, it was simply strange seeing her that way, I had gotten used to another image.

Even with some difficulties, I thought for some moments. It was hard to empty my head from what I had learnt.

"I don't know, Hawaii, Maldives?" I know, I could have been a little more original with my choices but I wasn't in the mood for anything that wasn't my imminent death.

"We have a house in Hawaii and it's always bright there." Andrei suggested and Petra nodded in agreement. My eyes became wide.

"Wait, you're really considering going?" I asked a little shocked. I wasn't expecting them to accept it straight away, much less their willingness to go without even knowing me. Gabriel got up from his seat.

"I'm going to call the Vatican and then to your landlady, if any of the vultures finds out, well…" And there was my answer. But how the hell was the Vatican involved in this? I adored seeing them discuss this as if I understood everything. Every time I started to comprehend something there would always some new information to get me even more confused and to worsen my nervous state.

"Tell the cardinal I send him a kiss." Exclaimed Andrei teasingly. The other gave him a sidelong glance.

"Yes, because the thing he most wants in this world is a kiss, from you." The brown haired man countered.

"Don't speak of what you don't know." The other said with a suggestive smile before turning to Petra, "Hey, go sleep for a while." He asked my friend in a completely different tone of voice from the one he had used 4 seconds prior.

From the corner of my eye I saw Gabriel shaking his head and turning his back to make the said call. I think I heard him whisper very low _Moron_.

"Don't be stubborn Athanasius. Kath, we need to do some shopping." The brunette informed me as she caught her hair into a small bun and held it with her white hairpin.

"We do?" And once again she showed signs of not being mentally sound, I eyed her like she had grown a second head. We were in danger and she wanted to go shopping! Before she could give a comeback to that, Andrei intercepted her. I was starting to love his capacity of shutting her up, not many could.

"No you're not, you and I are." He pointed at me. _We are?!_ I already knew that, at that point, I had no control over my life and in that moment I gave up on trying to find any logic in that situation, it was better if I cooperated with the ones' that wanted to help me. My survival instincts told me that I only had two options, to trust them or to end up in dire straits.

But it was strange, they didn't ask me for anything in return, they just wanted to help me. Part of me wanted to see where all of this was going, the experience was promising to be a rather interesting one.

"Athanasius, please…" She begged exasperated. Andrei put his hand on her leg and eyed her intensely. She quieted down and gazed into his eyes, the air around them became heavier.

"She's safe with me and you know that. Please." He insisted. I was feeling uneasy seeing how he gazed her. Petra took a deep breath and nodded, got up and went to her backpack to grab something, "Let's go Kathryn, Gabriel's call, to get us the permissions, is still going to take a long while and Petra's going to take a much needed nap."

"Not wanting to be rude or ungrateful, but are you sure it's safe?" I asked. Petra came back and handed him a _Tablet_.

"You're safe with me and _trackers_ usually don't attack in public places." He guaranteed me. I looked at the wall clock, that had a hand-painted anchor adorning it, and I noticed that it was a tad late to be out shopping.

"It's 10 p.m., there're no stores open." I stated. He laughed loudly and got up from the table, motioning me to follow him. From the corner of my eye I saw Petra laying down on the long sofa.

"Welcome to New York, the city that never sleeps." He said smiling as he helped me get back into his coat. I felt a bit more at ease when I understood that the dagger Petra had given me was still attached to my arm.

While shopping, Andrei never took his eyes from the _Tablet_ for a long time, he had been the one checking a list of objects to make sure we bought everything. It was a very, very long list.

How could a mall be swarming with people at dawn was beyond me. It was 5 a.m. when we arrived at the clothing section, the store was enormous. We had already bought everything that fit in the categories of footwear, casual clothing and other materials – batteries, camping equipment, thermals, painkillers, many first aid kits, some medicines, personal hygiene products and even hair bleacher. It was interesting, and weird at the same time, to see him making me try on shoes and clothing.

Luckily, I had already eaten at a fast-food restaurant. I didn't expect to see a vampire protesting against my meal choice. He even asked me if I couldn't have picked a healthier place. Not that he was going to eat anything, he said that he was worried about my health, saying that it was _too much crap_ – his words, not mine – and that I could say goodbye to junk-food because, while I was with them, I would have a very fit diet.

As I ate my hamburger and French fries I observed the people that crossed my sight, asking myself how could it all seem so normal for some people when I had a vampire sitting next to me and complaining about my meal. Only after that it was when we went to buy what was left on the shopping list.

"Well, we have an extensive list." He stated "What number do you wear?" I just eyed him, feeling a bit weird.

"Hum… I'm a 2 on the torso and a 4 from the waist down." I answered extremely embarrassed. I wasn't used to have people making me this kind of questions ever since I got my independence back, and he hadn't asked me that when we were buying the other items of clothing.

"Okay." He replied as he started picking up some boxes of beach articles with things like towels, sunscreen and flip flops. "We're going to take some bigger numbers in case you need them. Why are you making that face?" Discretion wasn't certainly one of my best assets, but I decided to be honest with him. It wouldn't hurt any of us and he seemed to like to talk with me.

"People don't usually ask me what number I wear only some hours after meeting me. One thing, it's 5 a.m., the sun won't hurt you once we leave?" I inquired, that question had been bothering me for a while.

"I doubt that having people telling you that your chances of becoming an incubator for monsters increased is also a normal thing." Okay, he had a point there. We arrived at the bikini section and I found it odd seeing him so comfortable walking around between hangers of intimate feminine clothing. "Pick whatever you want for yourself and something for Gabriel if you can, I get too tempted to pick him something embarrassing. As for the sun, I fed from Petra's blood before we left, so it's fine." He answered as he grabbed a black bikini, it was probably for Petra.

That world was very strange and new to me. That made me realize that I had too many romantic conceptions of life.

"Hum." I tried to process that new piece of information as I search for a simple dark blue bikini. I intended to have three sets, at least. I didn't know for how long I would stay with them but I also didn't know if I would ever have the courage to wear them, but it was better to play it safe.

I used to judge the people who used shopping as a mean of relaxation, but being there, contemplating that list, eased my head from what had happened, but never forgetting what I had as a destiny. It was impossible to forget it, it was like an irritating alarmed had been attached to my brain and it wouldn't stop ringing.

As much as I wished to ignore it so I could think properly, I couldn't. "But wouldn't that transform her or something like that? I know it's a dumb question but give me some slack." I was already guessing the number of idiotic questions that were getting ready to come out. For them this stuff was completely normal, for me it wasn't.

"I don't drink directly from her and, even if I did, Petra can't be transformed. The vampire that tries to feed from without her permission may get something like a severe allergic reaction." He responded with the biggest patience I had ever seen as he picked up a black and gold bikini of minimal proportions, "What do you think?"

"Hum… Okay." I eyed the article. If he valued his life he better not present her with that thing, I don't believe the consequences would be very pleasant ones, "The color is nice but you have to search for something else, something that isn't a nipple cover." I warned him as I put two bikinis for me inside the shopping cart.

One was dark blue, very simple with only two ribbons on the sides of the bottom part, and the other was of a similar model but all black and with a silver bead on the end of each strap. I still needed a brown one.

Once I found one that I liked, I started searching for some trunks for Gabriel. I went through the shelves unpleased, I doubted that he was a big fan of thongs. "What colors does usually he wear?" I wondered stupidly once I was 15 meters away from Andrei. Much to my surprise he heard me perfectly.

"Gabriel only wears blacks and depressing greys." He replied a bit loudly as he chose a much more decent piece for Petra, but it still had the metallic gold details. Well, at least he didn't seem to have any problems shopping for her. I picked three pairs of trunks, all of them very plain and approached Andrei and the cart again, "Okay, this is the one. Excuse me." He called one of the store's helpers, "Could you give me this bra with the number… Kathryn?"

If those days were bad, they had gotten much worse when I realized who the tart he called was. My heartbeat triggered with the anger that came attached with that disgraceful vision.

"Susan." I stated with a disgusted voice as I eyed the fake blond that stood before me with a horrible orange dress that matched her personality. If I had been able to avoid her I would have, but the vampire had already called her so I didn't have the slightest chance. She came in my direction faint-heartedly.

"Hi Kathryn, how are you?" She asked slightly livid for seeing me, but not before eyeing me from head to toe. The blond man was out of her visual field but inside mine. I know that he had a confused mask on and that he duplicated the same gesture a Roman emperor would do before deciding if a person would keep on living if she should be executed.

This one was clearly to be put down like an animal.

"I was just fine until I laid eyes on your snout." I answered back with the most cynic voice I could ever use. After what she had made me go through, she had a lot of nerve to speak to me and even look me in the eye. She didn't seem to understand the insult, for she kept looking at me like she was dumb. Not that it was a lie, in fact it seemed to be quite true. Her gaze made me want to come out of my calm appearance, to become violent and slap the stupidity off her face.

"Won't you introduce us, sister?" Asked Andrei very innocently, now standing next to me and wanting to know what was going on between me and the blond. I gave him a sidelong glance, warning him to shut up, but his presence managed to calm me down and to stay focused.

I decided to play along with him and not to descend to her level to cause a scene in the middle of the store.

"Andrei, this is Susan. Susan, this is Andrei, my brother-in-law." I answered very quickly, I just wanted to get that over with as quickly as possible. She eyed him up and down with interest. I sneered and she stepped back. I heard him ask another assistant for Petra's number but I felt his eyes vigilant on what was going on.

"Brother-in-law? Already? The trial isn't even over!" She exclaimed. I believe that, in her head, I should still be locked up at home afraid of everything and everyone and slicing my wrists open in sorrow and despair. For I all knew, she could even think that I was going to forgive William.

"And? I'm free to do whatever I want with my life. Don't worry, luckily I don't share your mental capacity of a goldfish and, regarding that, there's nothing that can be done." I factually stated.

"But you got married?" She asked again. _For fuck's sake, she's really that slow_, I thought to myself. I had called her an animal twice and she hadn't even noticed it. Andrei let go a muffled scorned laugh and approached us again with a badly hidden smile. Apparently I wasn't the only one taking advantage of her slow personality.

"She did, with my wife's brother. We're travelling to India today." He informed with a big smile as he shook the several bags we had with us. I just hoped that he wasn't talking about Gabriel, the man scarred me a little.

"Let's go Andrei. We already lost too much time here and, if we don't hurry up, we're going to miss the plane. Petra won't be happy if that happens." I asked as I pushed the shopping cart away. As soon as I mentioned my friend's name, Susan's face became as white as chalk and her body stood stuck on the store's floor, just like a useless statue.

I turned my back at her and went straight for the register. Andrei stayed talking to her for 5 more minutes, he received the bra from the other helper and came back standing next to me.

"If anyone asks, we're going to Calicut." He said.

"Don't worry, they won't." If they hadn't done it before, they wouldn't do it now, "Did we got everything on the list?" I asked.

"Yes, but can you explain me why you were so rude to the girl? According to what she told me, your ex. is still on the run. When I mentioned Petra she almost ran away from me. What happened?" He asked while giving everything to the cashier.

"She also didn't tell you why he's on the run?" I asked, but he shook his head negatively. I heard the beeping sounds of products being passed on the register by the girl. I took a very deep breath. "Let me clarify it to you then. That whore and my git of an ex. were fucking each other behind my back. When I found out I said that I would leave him. I ended up on a hospital bed for a month and a half. He ran away before the police got to him, he must be wanting for the crime to expire. But don't worry, it's been a while now since them…" The boy called our attention once it was time to pay. Andrei didn't touch the subject anymore.

The register signalized 23 thousand dollars, my eyes almost shot out of my head. "Did we spend that much?!" I was a bit of a scrooge, I had never spent so much in clothing.

"20 thousand isn't much, believe me. Let's get back to the car, I have some questions to make you and, if you want to know more, we can also talk about it." He answered as we made our way to the parking lot.

We started putting the shopping bags inside the trunk and on the backseat.

"Hum… Okay, you already answered to a lot of mine, I believe that it's your turn to make the questions." He had answered to a lot of stupid questions, it was better to let him make as much as he wished. I had just met him but I felt comfortable around him, to a certain level, which as strange. He shook his head surprised.

"You're a very strange human, maybe that's why she likes you. How are you handling everything?" He questioned me. That was an excellent question. On the outside I was relatively well but inwardly I was accumulating a big amount of crying, which I was saving up for when I got the chance to be alone. Once again I had lost the control over my own life and the feeling was creating an anguishing knot inside my throat.

"I've been called worse things, I'm going to take that as a compliment. I'm terrible, it feels like everything made a 180º turn and I don't know where to land my feet on." We got inside the jeep and started our trip back to the house.

"It's a compliment." He said as he turned the wheel and we left the mall's parking lot. "You know who Dracula is, right?"

"If we're talking about the one of the book, yes I know." I answered while inspecting the _iPhone_ he had gotten me, I think that Andrei wanted to make some changes to guarantee that the device wouldn't get detected. It was completely black and very simple, but extremely beautiful nonetheless. "But if you're talking about of who he is right now, I don't have the slightest clue." he laughed at the answer I gave him.

"Are you familiar with the _Victorius' Pharmaceuticals_?" He asked. I thought for a short while. The name sounded familiar. I searched through an extensive list of brands of every drug I had dealt with and of all psychiatrists I had worked with, usually they were the ones prescribing the drugs for our patients.

"I recognize the name. I believe that a psychiatrist I worked with once used drugs from that company. He had some issues with overdosing and stuff like that later on, the amount patients getting better was very little. He's name was Jason I think, I can't remember very well." He turned the wheel once again and we arrived at the colorful and busy streets.

"And do you know who the heir is? The little playboy that at the age of 25 already had a hold of the enterprise's leadership and dated 50 women every week? Viktor Danshov?" He asked.

I glanced at him a little confused. To my mind came the gossip magazines that I read when I went to the hair salon or to my physiotherapy sessions. I remembered seeing the pictures of a very good looking man. He had very thin features and extremely dark eyes, they were almost as black as coal. His hair was as straight as Andrei's but, instead of being fair, it was as dark as the night.

I cannot remember many details of the man's appearance, I never had much patience to read about the others' lives but, somehow, his face had gotten attached to my mind.

"I see something here and there, on the news and in magazines, but I usually don't pay much attention to those kinds of news."

"Exactly." The vampire answered.

"How so?" I kept looking at him.

"It's him." I was even more perplexed with his answer. _How can he expose himself so much? It doesn't make sense, doesn't he have to get out only at night?_

"Really?!" I exclaimed. If he tried to do something to me could I use the media as an asset?

"Yes." He confirmed as we entered the suburb area, "It's him. He arranged ways of becoming so famous that he founded the pharmaceutical. If you notice, the only images of him during daylight are of him wearing sunglasses and a hood, we believe that he has a doppelganger just for daylight events and that he wears contacts. Of course that the medicine created on his lab has dubious origins, they disrespect several international treaties, but if the money keeps on coming no one will bat an eye." He was very serious as he explained everything to me.

"Do you know anything else about him?" I asked, curiosity taking the best of me.

"You can _Google _everything."

"Hum… I think I'll give it a try." I just had to find a way to get my hands on a device with _internet_ connection.

"Go ahead." He urged on as we got out of the car. We grabbed all of the shopping bags and put them in the living room.

Gabriel was still on the balcony, which had the sea as a view, and appeared to be having a heated argument on the phone with the poor creature that was on the other side of the line, Petra should be sleeping in one of the bedrooms.

From the living room's window I could already see the day breaking and the snow starting to pile up on the corners. Andrei searched something through the bags and took the bleaching product from them, after that he quickly took it to the room where Petra should be sleeping in. When he came back, he motioned me to follow him. I complied and we entered the kitchen.

The division looked like one of those kitchens that were on decoration magazines. It was cleared by tiny orangey lights, the counters were all made of beige stone and the cupboards were of a chocolaty brown wood. On the other hand, the appliances contrasted with their stainless steel surface. It was the perfect mixture of rustic and modern, and it was all perfectly cleaned. What caught more of one's attention was the cooking island that was on the center of the kitchen and surrounded by brown chairs. It seemed that it was there where they took most of their meals.

Andrei immediately put himself on the other side of the island and motioned me to sit in front of him.

"What do you like to eat?" He asked as he rolled up his sleeves and held his blond hair in a ponytail. Now I could see the beginnings of black inked tattoos on his forearm, which was revealed when he pulled up the sleeve of his black shirt.

"I'm not very picky, why?" I asked, sitting in front of him.

"Right now I only have meat and greens, I was going to make some pasta and vegetables for Petra, but what would you like to eat?" He answered very calmly as he opened the fridge's door and scanned its inside. I stared at him. A vampire that cooked?

"Wait, you cook?" And there was another stupid question. Those days weren't doing me any wonders.

"_Oui mademoiselle_." He answered with a smile, while taking several different vegetables out of the fridge and putting them on top of the island. Then he went to pick up a small plastic bowl from one of the shelves that were on the kitchen's right side.

He opened the tap and started washing them. "Petra survives with a diet of fish, greens and water, but you need more protein. Do you need a specific nutrient?" He put the clean vegetables on the bowl and went to grab a cutting board and a sharp knife. He grabbed the ones that were in front of me and started pealing them with a breathtaking speed. From that day forward I would make it my mission to learn as many cooking techniques as I could with him.

"If I have my levels of estrogen in order I'll be fine. But why the hell do you cook?" I was still dumbfounded with what I was watching. Even though he was doing it rapidly and without even looking at them, the vegetables were finely chopped.

"You need estrogen? Do you have some kind of hormonal deficit?" I nodded as an answer before he stopped what he was doing and quickly went to a relatively big pantry, which was also on the kitchen's right end, and came back with a package of flaxseed, "Because it's fun. I took a degree on nutrition last year so we're going to avoid giving you any pills." He continued as he eyed me critically. Well, it seemed that my supplements were hitting the trash can. "You're too thin for someone that has a hormonal insufficiency, I have to fatten you up." He stated. I squinted my eyes, I was fine the way I was.

"I'm fine, thank you. I just exercise a lot. And yes, it a small one, nothing uncontrollable." I replied calmly.

"Still, you need to gain a kilo or two. But you still haven't answered me." He continued as he put the flaxseed in a bowl, "What's your favorite food?"

"Italian. You're worse than my grandmother." I whispered.

"Someone with hormonal issues shouldn't be so thin, Kathryn. What about Italian lasagna filled with veggies and mozzarella? Then both you and Petra can eat it." He suggested as he took a huge steak out of the fridge.

"Hum… Sounds good to me. For whom is the steak? I suppose that it isn't for you." I was feeling too comfortable around him. In me that kind behavior wasn't normal. Could it be a vampiric feature that made me feel at ease?

"It's for Gabriel, it's kind of a need." He answered in pure simplicity. Andrei put the red piece on the frying pan and the sound of meat toasting filled that kitchen. I found it odd when he had said it was a need. Did it have something to do with what Gabriel was?

"A need?" I asked. The vampire stopped what he was doing and eyed me again.

"Oh, right. Petra didn't tell you. He's a werewolf and the full moon ended yesterday so he's a bit weak and cranky." He informed me. That explained why Gabriel's hand was abnormally warm and why Andrei had asked me if I like dogs.

If the concept of _vampire_ was difficult to assimilate, the _werewolf_ one was a complete shock.

"Sorry, he's what?" I exclaimed. So, if Andrei was a vampire and Gabriel a werewolf, what about Petra? The blond howled like he was making fun of me.

"Yes, one of those. He transforms and everything." He clarified as the turned off the stove where the steak was. This one had gotten slightly toasted on the surface and rather bloody in the center, it was what one might call a really rare steak. He washed his hands and got back to chopping the greens, waiting for my reaction.

But I could barely react, each moment that passed made me even more scarred of the reality I had been thrown into. I inhaled a little faster. He must have noticed, for he filled up a glass of water and put it in front of me. "Welcome to our world." He said solemnly.

"Yeah…"_Welcome_, right. I drained the cup quickly.

"You're reacting extremely well." He commented. I hoped there was sarcasm hidden in that sentence. He filled the glass once again, but this time he put some sugar in it before giving it to me.

"So, if you're a vampire… He's…" I started as I pointed at the balcony, "A werewolf… Then what's Petra? The vampire she killed called her a witch, but she didn't clarify." I asked, completely ignoring his statement.

"Hum… Well, you humans use the _sorceress_, I think _witch_ still sounds like something negative." He continued in his extreme patience for my inquiry. I was getting into a catatonic state once again. Nothing was normal.

"It feels like I'm stuck in one of those _True Blood_'s books…" I mumbled as I put my head in between my hands. He laughed and got back at what he was doing.

"There are no fairies around here, I guarantee you. And I don't glitter in the sun nor do I have any telepathic powers, although they could be useful." He reassured me with a smile.

"And leprechauns no? The amount of new information is too great." Everything was spinning around again.

"Do you want some tea?" He asked as he looked at me with concern. "Your heartbeat is higher but aren't going to pass out."

_How the…?_ I eyed him chocked.

"How do you know?" I asked amazed. He pointed at his ear suggestively before going back to the pantry and coming back with a plastic container that seemed to have a ball of dough inside.

"Oh! Okay. Hum… Let's change the subject, please. Do you need help with that?" I asked while pointing at the food that he was preparing. I was in need of a distraction urgently. But what he had said made some sense, he had heard me grumbling from 15 meters away and put himself right beside me when I was about to slap Susan's face off. He laughed once again.

"No, thank you. Do you have any more questions?" He said as he rolled up his sleeves even further up, then he spread flour across the beige stone of the island in order to work the dough, which he had probably done many hours before. I noticed that he wasn't using the rolling pin to flatten it, he used his own hands. Now I could have a better view of his tattoos, they seemed to have a tribal pattern but I couldn't be sure.

"At the speed you're cooking, too many to be answered before dinner's ready." I answered, taking notice of the speed with which he worked on the dough.

"It's still going to take a while." He said as he stopped to look at me "You're nothing like I expected you to be, you know." That statement made laugh for the first time in many hours.

"What were you expecting then? A chick screaming hysterically every time one of you said something?" I asked with curiosity, I think that I was even smiling. He chuckled once more.

"I honestly don't know. But I never thought that you would be so easy to talk to. Most humans are stupid and like to be that way." And that wasn't a lie.

"Believe me, that opinion does have some fans." I observed. I was one of them. I liked to work with people, but to put up with them out of my working period not really. I preferred to limit myself to Petra's company.

"You're abnormally comfortable." Noted Andrei as he cut the dough into thin sheets.

"Believe what you wish, but I've been in far worse situations." It was a matter of opinion and personal experience, "And none of you has tried to eat me, yet." I finished with a strained smile. He grinned back and sniffed the air. I crooked my head to the side, confused.

"You smell good but it isn't quite my taste. A-?" He asked me.

"I'm not even going to ask how you guessed." Everything was too fantastical.

"I didn't guess. Vampire. Blood. They're no legends." He averred as he pulverized the sheets of dough so they would have the density he wanted them to have, "At least the feeding part."

"I'm starting to believe so." I admitted as I crossed my arms on the stone beneath them and glanced over at Gabriel, he was still arguing on the phone. Either the ones he was dealing with were complete incompetents or he had a really short fuse. I looked back at Andrei, the later had gotten a terrine and fresh mozzarella.

"You didn't notice anything about Petra? From when you lived together?" He inquired me. Of course my answer would be a positive one.

"Yes, I noticed some things. When I arrived at her apartment it looked like it had been emptied or that she had just moved in. She never spoke of her past and never took someone home, even when she encouraged me to do so if I wanted to. Once she left the apartment with a murderous face but I was in no place to demand any explanations, she was making me a great favor in letting me stay with her." I went on. I wasn't ready to tell him that I suspected that she was the one sending my ex. to the hospital before he ran away and I had the feeling that, if I did it, I would get Petra in trouble with Andrei.

The morning was shining brightly and there were already small amounts of snow on the window's corners.

"Hum…" He made a thoughtful expression. Meanwhile, he started making brilliantly upright layers of vegetables, dough and cheese. It looked like he was preparing a dish for a culinary magazine. "And now? Do you willingly accept being dragged into this insane world without calling the cops?"

"I don't have another choice. But it should be interesting arriving at the station and going like this: "Look, I want to press charges against a vampire that wants to kidnap me and possibly suck all of my blood." He leant against the counter laughing loudly with my impersonation of despair. "I'm not saying that I'm okay with this, I'm not, but I know what I saw back at the morgue and in that field. I don't have a choice but to go along." He nodded, but quickly changed his expression into an annoyed one.

"She never spoke of me, did she?" He asked slightly hurt. I couldn't sustain a small laugh, he seemed like a boy getting ready to throw a tantrum.

"No." I answered with an apologetic face, even knowing that it wasn't my fault. He grumbled something that sounded like German and put the terrine on the oven.

"What salad do you want?"

"Surprise me. I want to see what a vampire can cook without tasting the dishes he prepares." Leave it to me to challenge the vampire. He laughed maliciously.

"I'm a chef, after you taste my food you won't want eat anything else. Do you like peppers?" He continued smugly.

"As I said, I'm not picky."

"Okay. Petra calls you Kath, can I call you that as well? Kathryn is too long." I nodded positively.

"Kath is really much easier." I answered. Apparently he agreed.

"You can call me Andrei, Petra only calls me Athanasius but that's because she got used to it and enjoy annoying me." He finished the salad as quickly as he had started it and the oven rang with the cooking time came to an end. He went to get the terrine, with no protection whatsoever, put it in front of me and gave me a fork "Attack." I eyed him skeptically.

"You don't expect me to eat all of this by myself, do you?" I asked slightly scared. Meanwhile, he took out another fork and stuck it carefully in the terrine's other half.

"Half is for Petra, if you two don't mind sharing the terrine. Gabriel broke the last dish before you arrived." He mumbled as he stuck, a little bit aggressively, a fork and a knife on the almost rare stake and put it in front of one of the island's seats.

"Hum… It smells nice in here." It was Petra's voice, she came in with a towel wrapped around her head and dressed with an oversized t-shirt that she usually wore to bed and with a pair of shorts. I pushed the lasagna a little bit to the side so she could eat it well.

"You'll have to share the terrine with Kath, the canine had a fit of rage and broke the remaining dishes. Hey Kath, eat it, it's not poisoned." He guaranteed, but I swear I was eating.

I was just a little nervous, I didn't know whether I should pay attention to the fact that they were describing angered behaviors, in which the dishes suffered the consequences, like they were part of their daily lives or to the fact that he wasn't eating.

"I'm eating, grandma." I muttered as my eyes squinted. Petra laughed loudly and scooted closer to me, taking off the white towel off her head in the process.

"Granny hum?" She teased. He stuck his tongue out at her.

"Yes, but he's not worse." I stated while looking at her hair "You have black hair?"

She took a forkful of the lasagna and sighed in contempt.

"At least you're an Italian granny. Yep." She confirmed, making a small popping sound in the end.

"She always did." He commented as he glanced at her ebony hair. She swallowed the forkful of lasagna and turned to me.

"Sorry, you never saw me without the braids, did you?" She asked with a somewhat guilty expression.

"It's the first time in three years." I answered, while eating a bit more. Meanwhile, Gabriel came into the kitchen. He didn't seem to be as upset as before, but my chest clenched a little nonetheless.

"I already spoke with the Vatican, they'll send the documents in an hour." He informed as he sat on the end of the island that was the most distant from me. Petra took a somewhat irritated and deep breath.

"Yes, sorry about that." She apologized before turning into the brown haired man's direction, "Did you take care of the fake IDs or did you forget?"

"There's your steak." Said Andrei, pointing at the still hot frying pan.

"It's all been taken care of, don't worry." He answered her with a very serious expression. I got the impression that, from the three, he was the one with a more reserved personality. The weird sensation of my chest scrunching didn't leave me until I left the table. I couldn't understand why. Andrei looked between me and Gabriel with a strange face and exchanged glances with Petra. There was some understanding between the two, but I was so distracted trying to comprehend why I was feeling that way and everything that I had learnt that I didn't even bother to question them.

"And your opinion, Miss Kath?" Asked Andrei out of the blue.

"About what, precisely?" I questioned back after getting out of my introspective world and taking another bite of the lasagna. He narrowed his eyes offended and I hear Gabriel's muffled chuckle.

"It seems that I have to do much better, you're not amazed by my lasagna." He muttered while crossing his arms over his chest and putting on a determined expression on his features.

"He's worse than a housewife, but only give him compliments when you think that it's really good." Petra advised me as she took a bite of the pepper and flaxseed salad.

"Oh! About the lasagna. Sorry, my head was somewhere else. It's superb, but you can't beat my grandmother." It wasn't a lie, it was better than many that I had eaten before, but nothing beat's grandma Florence's cooking. He made a rather ugly sound.

"Challenge accepted!" He exclaimed before starting to clean the counter, having a special attention to the grease that was incrusted on the stove.

"Kath, after this you're going to sleep, okay? Leave the rest to us, but be sure to pick a fresh change of clothes and a warm coat." Petra asked me. I believe that she understood that I was on the verge of an emotional breakdown.

"Are you sure you don't need anything?" I asked while looking at them all, it was bothering me that they were going to take care of everything while I slept. Andrei shook his head.

"You can go, I'll take care of the children." He assured me. Both Gabriel and Petra made a face at the observation. I lifted my hands a bit in the air, it wasn't worth to insist any longer.

"Okay, if you insist." I said in defeat. Gabriel didn't say a word, he remained quietly eating his steak and observing what was going on. That started to bother me halfway through the meal.

As soon as the terrine was emptied, Petra took me to, according to her words, what was Andrei's bedroom. It was an ample chamber, adorned with shades of navy blue, white and cream, it had a king size bed covered with the same hues. On our way I opened one of my bags to take out a long sleeved thin blouse, a pair of thigh jeans, a set of lingerie, a pair of boots and a warm black overcoat. I also took a light blue pajama that I had bought. I didn't take much care while picking the clothes, I didn't have much patience to do it.

Petra told me where everything was and wished me a goodnight's sleep before going back to the kitchen, where Gabriel and Andrei awaited her. As soon as the door closed I let a deep breath leave me. To my luck the bedroom had an en suite bathroom, so I took the opportunity to take a hot shower and to tend to my wounds. Mechanically, I let my clothes fall on the floor, put Petra's dagger on the sink and got inside the shower. I wasn't preoccupied with taking in the details of that area, I only knew that it was a white bathroom.

As the hot water dripped down my head and I observed my feet stopping it from going down the drain. I made a mental list of everything that had happened during those days. Vampires, witches and werewolves are real. Dracula exists and wants me as a monster incubator. I could die if I didn't left the life that I knew behind, maybe permanently. I was going to travel to Hawaii on the next day. And why did Gabriel's presence bothered me so much? It was all too much…

I rested my head against the white tiles and eyed the ceiling as the water fell on me, observing the shower's small white lights. I asked God, over and over again, if I hadn't suffered enough. I didn't know what I had done wrong to deserve all of that pain. I desperately wanted to know why and each day my faith in Him broke just a little bit more.

I was only 26 and my life never ceased to get worse. Knowing that I would never get my answer and with everything that had occurred weighing on me starting to break, I finally started crying out everything that I had endured and piled up during those days. Once again I had lost all the control that I had over my own life and the memories, that I had fought so hard to drown and to lock away forever, started emerging.

I let myself slide down the cold wall and sat on the shower's floor, hugging my knees and letting the steaming water fall on my skin, observing the small drops sliding down my arms and legs. I tried to regain control of myself once again, but for half an hour it was impossible. I just stayed in that position crying compulsively and letting everything out. I doubted that I would have any more of those alone moments. Remembering that Petra could come in if Andrei warned her that my heart rate wasn't normal, I got up and closed the tap before I exited the shower.

I felt numb after my outbreak, my limbs moved almost automatically, like I was a robot. I wrapped a fresh towel around me, sat on the toilet's lid and dressed my forehead, hands and knees once again. Thankfully Andrei had a first aid kit inside the cabinet. They were getting better but they still stung.

Slowly I got myself inside the cotton pajama, closed the windows and laid in bed, putting the dagger under the pillow. I couldn't think about anything but I didn't want to fall asleep, I was sure that the nightmares would come back bloodier than ever that night. It took me 15 minutes to fall sleepy as I curled myself on the extremely soft cotton sheets and eyed the room's darkness.

I ended up falling asleep with the sound of the ocean waves cradling my senses.


End file.
